Fuel Price Hike Impact: Bus Fares Revised In Odisha; Click For Details

Bhubaneswar: Passengers in Odisha will now have to spend more while travelling in buses as the State government has revised the fares across all categories. The new fares will be applicable from today.

Informing about the bus fare hike, Secretary of Private Bus Owners’ Association Devendra Sahoo said that the revision was done keeping in view the rise in the prices of petrol/diesel and other parameters.

According to Sahoo, passengers will now have to pay Rs 80 paise per km against 74 paise per km for travelling in ordinary buses. Express bus fares have also been increased from 77 to 84 paise per km.

Similarly, the Deluxe buses will now charge Rs 1.11 per km as against Rs 1.09 per km. Similarly, passengers have to pay Rs 1.39 per km instead of Rs 1.31 per km in case of AC Deluxe category.

For the first time, the State government has come up with a revised fare for super premium buses keeping in view the six laning of national highways. The passengers will have to cough up Rs 2,17 per km, Sahoo added.

“Four years back, Odisha government had decided to increase the bus fares by 1 paisa for ordinary/ express and 2 paisa for delux buses in case fuel prices increase by 2 rupees. However, other 12 parameters- tyres, bank interest and others which should have been taken into account for revision of bus fares were not implemented for the last three years,” said Sahoo.

During Covid-19 pandemic, the private bus owners’ association had approached the State government to consider these parameters for revision of bus fares. The technical committee had subsequently allowed to hike the bus fares taking into account their demands.

“The hike of bus fares will certainly create problems for passengers and other commuters. But due to exorbitant rise in fuel prices, we have no option than to revise the fare rates,” Sahoo added.

He further stated that though the association had urged Centre and Odisha government to reduce taxes so as to ease the burden on passengers, but it was not approved.

(Edited By Suryakant Jena)